Texas Tech-led Community Initiative Recognized for Efforts in East Lubbock

The Center for the Study of Social Policy profiled East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood
for their work in Lubbock schools.

East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood recently was recognized for its impact on the residents of Lubbock. As part of its
“Pipeline Profiles” series, The Center for the Study of Social Policy highlights how ELPN, along with two other neighborhoods in Berea, Kentucky, and Chula Vista,
California, is making progress in its community.

In 2012, the program was named as one of seven initiatives across the country to be
awarded a Promise Neighborhood grant. With Texas Tech University serving as the anchor
institution, ELPN aims to support the children and families in East Lubbock with programs
and resources designed to ensure success.

“We are delighted the center chose to profile our work and our partnership with Lubbock
Independent School District,” said Scott Ridley, dean of the Texas Tech College of Education. “It’s my hope that when people see what’s being done by Promise Neighborhoods nationwide,
they will realize what an impact we can have on the future of our communities.”

In the video, Ridley speaks about efforts to combat factors that can contribute to
a lack of performance in schools – absences, behavior problems and course grades.
Administrators have focused on these factors using the Granger Turnaround Model, implementing
programs like the Opportunity Room at Joan Y. Ervin Elementary, where students who
are struggling behaviorally in class can be pulled out and redirected and then put
back in class as soon as possible.

Other initiatives at the school include the Academic Enrichment program, where students
get to work on homework, and an after-school program that gives students a chance
to learn about music, cooking, theater and dance.

“This year, the data shows teachers at Joan Y. Ervin are in the top 25 percent of
value added for Lubbock,” said Ervin principal Joshlyn Cotton. “Our reading scores
jumped by double digits. We are no longer last. Our success has really given everyone
the opportunity and the motivation to keep pushing.”

Changes also are evident at Estacado High School. After the implementation of ELPN,
Texas Tech entered into an articulation agreement to create an early college high
school. That means students have the potential to graduate from high school with enough
college hours to classify them as juniors at the university.

“If you would have told me that kids would have an opportunity to have 60 hours of
credit from Texas Tech by the time they graduated from high school, I wouldn’t have
believed it,” Estacado principal Jimmy Moore said. “With Promise Neighborhood being
able to bring us all to the table, it’s making all these dreams a reality.”

The students and those residents in the ELPN area have the same potential as anyone
else, Ridley said, but they haven’t had the same kind of opportunity. ELPN is giving
them those opportunities which will benefit not only them, but the entire community.

“We are building our tomorrow as we educate our students,” said Lubbock Independent
School District deputy superintendent Theresa Williams. “If they’re not able to obtain
their ultimate success, it’s our job, our calling, to clear a path and provide them
the necessary support to achieve a prosperous future.”

To learn more about East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood, visit its website.

The College of Education at Texas Tech University offers a full range of programs, including 9 doctoral degrees,
10 master's degrees, two bachelor's degrees and numerous specializations which can
lead to careers in public or private education as teachers, professors, administrators,
counselors and diagnosticians.

Programs in the college are housed in three departments.

The Department of Curriculum & Instruction offers advanced degrees that prepare leaders, researchers, and professors with the
knowledge, skills, and practical application experience needed to analyze, construct,
and evaluate curricula in ways that create optimal learning conditions for all learners.
Language and literacy, bilingual education and STEM education are just a few of the
specializations offered by C&I.

The Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership consists of a diverse group of academic programs that equip students with a comprehensive
knowledge of learning, motivation, development, and educational foundations. The disciplines
of counseling and school psychology are housed within the EP&L department as are programs
to prepare future college administrators, primary and secondary school and district
leaders, as well as practical and academic educational psychologists.

The Department of Teacher Education focuses solely on teacher preparation, ensuring that teacher candidates are ready
for the classroom on day one. The Teacher Education Department is home to TechTeach,
an innovative teacher preparation program that puts teacher candidates into public
school classrooms for a full year and requires that students pass teacher certification
tests prior to entering the classroom. Various paths to teaching careers, including
fast-track distance programs statewide and alternative certification options, are
also housed in this department.